2017 September 28 morning

   Jochen Moehr sends photographs from Metchosin of a Robber Fly, which he describes as being as aesthetically pleasing as an Apache attack helicopter.  Rob Cannings writes: This is a male Laphria asturina or L. fernaldi. These two are very difficult to tell apart and I’m not convinced yet that they are distinct species.

Robber fly Laphria asturina/fernaldi (Dip.: Asilidae)   Jochen Moehr

Robber fly Laphria asturina/fernaldi (Dip.: Asilidae)   Jochen Moehr

   Jeremy Tatum found a small (6 mm) beetle on the windshield of his car when he was parked near McIntyre reservoir yesterday.  Charlene Wood writes:  It looks like a Sitona sp. broad-nosed weevil (Curculionidae: Entiminae), which includes many non-native pests of clover, pea, etc. Looks most like a clover weevil, Sitona hispidulus, which is an introduced species from Eurasia, but there are a few other possible species.

Sitona sp (probably hispidulus) (Col.: Curculionidae – Entiminae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  The caterpillar of a Ni Moth shown on September 11 produced the moth shown below.  The moth emerged in the middle of last night, so I had to try to photograph it in artificial light when I was half asleep. Then I drove out to the Martindale area to release it there.  When I got back, a second moth had emerged, and I had to start all over again.  The second moth was from the caterpillar shown on August 28, 30, September 2,7,11.  I believe it is Zale lunata.

Ni Moth Trichoplusia ni (Lep.: Noctuidae – Plusiinae) Jeremy Tatum

Zale lunata (Lep.: Erebidae – Erebinae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Aziza Cooper sends a photograph of a Purplish Copper from Saanichton (Cordova) Spit.

Purplish Copper Lycaena helloides (Lep.: Lycaenidae)  Aziza Cooper

    Jeremy Tatum writes: At press time no word from yesterday’s observations at McIntyre reservoir, but I can tell you that there were several Cabbage Whites, one Orange Sulphur (deep orange, no problem with identity), several Painted Ladies, at least one (could be more) American Lady, a probable Purplish Copper, and several Autographa californica.  So it is well worth a visit there on this, the last day before the rains begin.  Also a report of a Red Admiral from Whiffin Spit.

2017 September 27

   Here are three geometrid moths from Jochen Moehr’s Metchosin home this morning:

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Xanthorhoe defensaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Eupithecia graefii (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

   At least five butterfly-ers visited McIntyre reservoir today.  We’ll write about what they saw in tomorrow’s posting.  In the meantime, in case you are wondering whether it is worth visiting McIntyre reservoir tomorrow (Thursday), which might be the last day before the onset of the rainy season, the answer is definitely yes.  There are still sulphurs and ladies there, though you might have to wait ten or fifteen minutes before you spot one.

2017 September 27 morning

   Rarities Alert!

   Gordon Hart writes: I have enclosed photos of the American Lady that Anne-Marie and I saw at Whiffin Spit yesterday. After seeing the rather drab Lark Sparrow in the parking lot, it was exciting to see several Painted Ladies and then this American Lady in the grassy area part way to the tip where the Meadowlarks are usually found.  

   Later, while viewing the Lark Sparrow again with Cheryl Mackie and Marilyn Lambert, they told us that Avery Bartels, Rocky Point bander, saw a Monarch and a Red Admiral on the morning of September 25. Avery is familiar with Monarchs and was certain of the identification. I suppose if American Ladies can migrate through here occasionally, then Monarchs can as well.

   Jeremy Tatum writes:  Thanks to Gordon and Anne-Marie, I, too, saw the Whiffin Spit American Lady – in the area where there is lots of Gumweed, opposite the washroom, and where the Grasshopper Sparrow was seen a few years ago.  Unlike the slightly worn specimen that is doubtless still at McIntyre reservoir, the Whiffin Spit butterfly was pristine fresh and very obvious.

  Usually we caution that the provenance of Monarchs is always suspect, because of their commercial release at weddings.  However, there is no need to assume that all Monarch sightings pertain to such releases, and we must bear in mind that some of them may be genuine wild butterflies – particularly when seen in areas remote from cities, such as Rocky Point.

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

American Lady Vanessa virginiensis (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Gordon Hart

   And here’s a not-quite-so-rare butterfly from Jeremy Tatum’s Saanich apartment this morning.

Cabbage White Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)  Jeremy Tatum

   Annie Pang is rearing a Spotted Tiger Moth caterpillar (see September 16), which has now spun a wonderful cocoon:

Spotted Tiger Moth Lophocampa maculata (Lep.: Erebidae – Arctiinae) Annie Pang

2017 September 26

Jochen Moehr reports seeing a Tolype distincta at his Metchosin house on September 24.  [For the purposes of this site, we are treating T. distincta and T. dayi as conspecific under the name T. distincta.  Jeremy Tatum].

Today, September 26, Jochen’s morning crop was a Noctua pronuba, a Neoalcis californiaria,  and an unknown noctuid, which Libby Avis kindly identified for us as Lithophane baileyi.  Jochen sends photographs of the last two.

Neoalcis californiaria (Lep.: Geometridae)  Jochen Moehr

Lithophane baileyi (Lep.: Noctuidae)  Jochen Moehr

Jochen also had a look on his kale plants, and found a caterpillar of a Cabbage White:

Cabbage White, Pieris rapae (Lep.: Pieridae)  Jochen Moehr

2017 September 25

   Aziza Cooper writes:  Yesterday, Sunday, September 24, I saw four Painted Ladies at the tip of Whiffin Spit. The photo shows one on a log flattened down against the cold wind of the ocean. Two other observers saw at least four other Ladies in the grassy area at mid-spit. It certainly is a good year for Painted Ladies.  [It is indeed – though occasionally in past years we have had truly massive invasions, with caterpillars in almost every thistle patch.  Jeremy].

Painted Lady Vanessa cardui (Lep.: Nymphalidae)  Aziza Cooper

    Following my appeal yesterday for photographs of one of the paler sulphurs, Val George writes:  Here is a (not very good) photo of one of the pale sulphurs at McIntyre Reservoir that I took a few days before our butterfly walk.  I wondered then whether it could be a Clouded Sulphur.  However, I concluded that it probably wasn’t possible from this photo to tell the species with certainty.  What do you think?

Jeremy Tatum writes: I think I have to agree with Val.  It is tempting to say that it is a Clouded Sulphur, but honesty compels me to say that I cannot be certain.  Is it a male or a female?  (Can’t quite see whether the terminal band contains yellow spots.)  I don’t see any sign of orange. What about the dark ST spots on the fw und?  (That’s jargon for subterminal spots on the forewing underside.)  The one spot is fairly well defined (therefore probably Orange Sulphur) but there is only one of them (therefore probably Clouded Sulphur).  So we remain tantalized!  More photos needed.  We’ll figure it out eventually!

Sulphur Colias sp. (Lep.: Pieridae)  Val George.